International Launch Services (ILS) and Intelsat have announced a contract for the launch of the Intelsat 16 satellite on an ILS Proton later this year.

Contract terms were not disclosed. The satellite, built by Orbital Sciences, is expected to be delivered to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late this fall. Intelsat 16 is a 2,500 kg satellite that will be placed at the orbital location of 58 degrees West. Intelsat 16 will provide high power Ku-band capacity to support expanded services to direct-to-home customers in Latin America. The satellite is an Orbital 2.4 platform, and will serve as a complement to the Intelsat 9 and as a backup to Intelsat 11.